Pneumatic hammering machine for cleaning rollers



p 16, 1952 w. E. SMITH 2,610,350

PNEUMATIC HAMMERING MACHINE FOR CLEANING ROLLERS Filed April 20, 1948 5Sheets-Sheet 1 Invnior Will-is E. Smvl'h i Zamiey Sept. 16, 1952 w. E.$MlTH PNEUMATIC HAMMERING MACHINE- FOR CLEANING ROLLERS F led April 201948 5 She ets-Sneet 2 mill 'VV'ill-Ls {S 2 at a ee s-Sne Willis E. 5m

w. E. SMITH ATIC HAMMERING MACHINE FOR CLEANING ROLLERS 5 Sh t Sept. 16,1952 PNEUM Filed April 20, 1948 Sept. 16, 1952 W. SMITH CLEANING ROLLERSFiled April 20, 1948- i Jriuenior 321%;5mi if orny hardened mass fromthe rolls. time consuming and thereforeexpensive, both-1n vidc roller:cleaning weight, .of simple construction and contains but PatentedSept. 16, 1952 PNEUMATIC HAMMERING MAonmEron j CLEANING aoLLEns Willis.E. Smith, Springfield, Greg. Applicationzlipril 2o; mia-seriainc. 22,040j This invention pertains to devices for cleaning surfaces of rollers,and, relates particularly to a pneumatic hammering machine for removingadhering particlesfromthe surfaces of rollers such as are used in a kilnor dryer section for the drying of strips of wood veneers.

In the veneer industry,thin sheets of wood cut from green peeler logsare generallysubjected to a. preliminary drying treatment by passingthem over, or between, rolls in a heated chamber in order to reduce themoisture content of the Wood.

'Thepressure of therolls and the elevated temperature "or the atmospherecause the resinous content of the wood to flow, and-thus to exude from.thesurtaces and-bedeposited upon the rollers. The material decomposesand sets, forming ahard cake which not only increases the diameter ioftherolls, but also produces undesirable marks in the surface of theveneers. Heretofore. it 'was necessary to shut down the drying apparatusperiodically and to scrape and chip the This procedure is addedlaborcosts and in time lost in production while the machine shut down.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a devicefor'cleaning a multiplicity of such rollers in one operation with aminimum of attendance and with rapidity and thoroughness.

;-Another object of the invention is to provide a device for cleaningrollers by means of a tapping and jarring action imparted to the latterby means of pneumaticallyoperated hammers.

A further object is to provide a roller cleaning device wherein a seriesof pneumatic hammers are actuated by a valve system operated by the samesupply of compressed air.

of the invention is to prodevice which is light A still :further objectminimum-number .of moving-parts, thus insuringlong life withminimumrepair.

J'Ihese and other objects and advantages of the present'in 7ention willappear from the following detailed :descriptiontaken in connection withthe accompanying drawings, in which: 7

Fig. ,1 ;is arperspectiveview of the swivel attachment'by' which thedevice of the present invention-is suspended upon, and inovedzover, theroll erslto 'be cleaned; a

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the means for releasablysecuring the swivel attachment to the cleaning device;

. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the assembled lcleanerlcemprising thepresent invention;

illustrating the;

Fig; 4' is a perspective view 6 Claims. (GR; 382) duced between adjacentand confined rollers;

Fig. 5 is aperspective view, ipartly'ingsection, showing the.clsaningdevice in operation upon a multiplicityof j spacedrollers Fig.6 is a vertical'sec'tional view illustrating the structural features'o'fthe device of the :present invention; and

Fig '7 is ,a perspective view in broken section showing the features ofthevalve system of the present invention.

The operating mechanism otthe-cleaning device is housed in a cast "bodyI in which four transverse cylinders 2 'are formed. Referringparticularly to Fig. 6 of the drawing, two ofjthe four cylinders aredisposed above "the remaining two at adist-anceapproximately the spacebetween theaxes of'adjacentrollers-to be cleaned.

a valve shaft '5 ,extending longitudinally through said valve bore, andthe onset valves-mounted in spaced relation -upOn T the shaft. Referringparticularlyto Fig; l of the drawings, the valves comprise circularsleeves which fit closely about the circumference of the valve bore 5.Oppositepor tions of the sleeves are cut away,.forming valve heads '8,9, "land I l extending slightly more than about the valve shaft "l. "inthis manner, thejports controlled by said heads-are opened'to alternateinlet and exhaust portsduring slightly less than one-halfof arevolution. of the valve shaft and are closed to alternate. inlet andexhaust ports during slightly greater .thanone-half of a revolutionoisaid shaft, as is more Iully described, hereinafter. The ends .of thevalve shaft are of reduced diameter, the .forward end thereof beingjournaled in bearingl 2 held in place at the forward steppedend of thevalvev bore by means ofa screw'cap I3 threaded to theend of said-bore.The rearward endof said valve shaft is mounted ina similar bearing Hisecured: in the rear end of the valve bore by means of the screw cap 1 5similarly threaded to. the end of the valve is to be used on singlespaced rollers.

bore. The rear end of the valve shaft, however, is extended through thescrew cap and is keyed to the rotor N5 of a conventional air motorconfined within the housing I! secured to the rear end of the body i. Itis readily apparent that, by simply removing the screw cap l3 andbearing l2, the entire valve assembly may be withdrawn from the valvebore, as for purposes of repair.

Air is supplied to the valve bore between the spaced valves from acompressed air supply (not shown) through the external conduit I8secured to the front of the body I in communication with the maininternal duct I9. Branch lines 20 from the main duct lead to the outerwalls of the body I, and terminate in external air ports 2| adjacent theends of the forward hammers. Other branch lines 22 extend from thecentral portion of the valve bore and terminate in air ports 23 adjacentthe ends of the rearward hammers. These air ports 2| and 23 are employedto direct jets of compressed air upon the areas of the rollers beingsubjected to the hammering action,

to aid in removing the matter adhering to the rollers. The air line 24extends rearwardly from the valve bore to the space between the rotor l6and the housing I! of the air motor to supply the air required tooperate the motor.

Projecting outwardly from the valve bore adjacent the valve heads areair intake ducts 25 and 26 communicating through upper ducts 21 with theends of the upper forward cylinder, and through lower ducts 28 with theends of the lower forward cylinder, as best shown in Figs. 6 and 7 ofthe drawings. Cut-off valves 29 are provided in the lower ducts 28 topermit the inactivation of the lower hammers when the device Intakeducts 30 and 3| similarly conduct air to upper and lower ducts andcut-off valves in the upper and lower cylinders are disposed at the rearof the body Extending transversely through the end portions of the valvebore and communicating with the outer walls of the body are exhaustports 32 and 33 for permitting escape of air released from one side ofthe pistons 4 during the operation of the device, as is mor fullyexplained hereinafter.

A mounting member 34 is secured to or formed in, the top of the body Aslot 35 is formed in said mounting member extending longitudinally ofsaid body, and a portion of the exposed face of said member is cut awayto form a recess 36 as is best shown in Fig. 2. A swivel head 3'! isdetachably mounted upon said mounting member by means of a shoulderedlug 38 depending from said head and extending through the cut awayportion of the mounting member. A retractible key 39 mounted on theswivel head engages one of the holes 4|) formed in the mounting memberpositively to lock the head thereto in the position desired. Extendingoutwardly from the swivel head are arms 4| by means of which the deviceis suspended between the rollers to be cleaned. Rollers 42 are rotatablysecured to the free ends of said arms to rest upon the rollers to becleaned, and thereby provide for easy movement of the cleaning device.Bumper bars 43 extend laterally from the body between the upper hammersand are made adjustable in order to accommodate various distancesbetween rollers. These bumpers are adjusted, as shown in Fig. 6, toprevent excessive lateral movement of the cleaning device between therollers to be cleaned.

Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings show the cleaning device of the presentinvention mounted for operation between two pairs of cooperating rollers44 forming a section of a conventional veneer dryer. Such rollers areusually mounted at their ends in spaced upright brackets 45 secured tothe dryer frame 46. In installing the cleaning device upon the rollers,the operator first releases the key 39 and rotates the swivel head toposition the arms 4| along the longitudinal axis of the body l, as isshown in Fig. 4. The device is then lifted into position between therollers 44 and the arms 4| are swung about to rest upon the rollers, asshown in Figs. 5 and 6. The device, thus suspended, is in readiness tobe manipulated along the rollers during the cleaning operation.

In operation, compressed air is admitted through the conduit l8 by meansof which the cleaning devices are manipulated as they move along therollers. High pressure air is introduced in the valve bore 6 between thespaced valves and thence to the air motor, the rotor of which is causedto rotate as the air impinges upon the rotor vanes, thus impartingrotation to the valve shaft 1. As is illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 of thedrawings, valve heads 8 and II are in position to admit compressed airfrom the central portion of the valve bore to intake ports 25 and 3|,respectively. At the same time, valve heads 9 and H3 seal ofi intakeports 26 and 30, respectively, from the high pressure air and placethese ports in communication with the exhaust ports 32 and 33,respectively. Thus, the forward pistons are caused to move toward theright, in Fig. '7, and the rearward pistons are caused to move to theleft. As the front pistons move toward the right, air entrapped on thesides of the pistons flows through ducts 21 and 28 on the right side,through duct 26 into the front end portion of the valve bore, and isexhausted to the atmosphere through port 32. Similarly, air entrapped onthe left side of the rear pistons flows through duct 39 into the rearend portion of the valve bore and is exhausted through duct 33.

With the valve shaft rotated to a position from that shown in Figs. 6and '7, compressed air is admitted to the right side of the forwardcylinders through intake port 26, and to the left side of the rearwardcylinders through intake port 36. As the forward pistons move to theleft, air entrapped on the left side from the previous half-cycle isexhausted through ports 25 and 32. Likewise, as the rearward pistonsmove toward the right, air entrapped on that side is exhausted throughports 3| and 33.

As the pistons move from one side of the cylinders to the other, theends of the piston rods strike the rollers upon which the hardenedencrusting matter 41 adheres. The sudden jarring effect induced by thehammering of the piston rods upon the rollers loosens the encrustingmatter therefrom and, with the aid of the strong jets of air issuingfrom the ports 2| and 23, is completely removed. The operator merelymoves the device longitudinally through the space between the rotatingrollers until the latter are thoroughly cleaned. As stated hereinbefore,if the device is to be used upon single spaced rollers, the lowerhammers may be inactivated by closing the lower intake posts by means ofthe cut-oif valves 29.

I claim:

l. A device for cleaning rollers comprising, an elongated body havingtransversely arranged cylinders therein, said elongated body beingpositionable so that each transverse cylinder lies between two opposedrollers which are to be cleaned, a reciprocable piston operativelycarried in each transverse cylinder, piston rods on said pistonsextending through the sides of said body for intermittently contactingthe rollers to be cleaned, valve means connecting said cylinders and asource of fluid pressure for reciprocating said pistons, swivel meansdetachably mounted on said body, and arms extending from said swivelmeans for movably suspending said cleaning device upon the rollers to becleaned.

2. A pneumatic device for cleaning rollers comprising, a body, acylinder in said body, a reciproating piston in said cylinder, pistonrod means on said piston extending through the sides of said bodyintermittently for contacting the rollers to be cleaned, valve meansconnecting said cylinder and a supply port to reciprocate said piston,and duct means continuously open to said supply port for directing astream of compressed air adjacent the free ends of said piston rod toaid the cleaning action of said piston rod and roller contact.

3. A device for cleaning rollers comprising, a body, cylinders in saidbody, a reciprocating piston in each cylinder, piston rods on saidpistons for intermittently contacting the rollers to be cleaned, a valvebore in said body, a duct connecting said valve bore with a source offluid pressure, ducts connecting said valve bore with said cylinders onopposite sides of said pistons, exhaust ducts connecting said valve boreand the ends of said cylinders with the outside atmosphere, a valveshaft in said bore, a motor for driving said shaft, valves on said shaftcooperating with said cylinder-connecting ducts for alternatelyadmitting and releasing fluid pressure in said cylinders forreciprocating said pistons, swivel means detachably mounted on saidbody, and arms extending from said swivel means for movably suspendingsaid cleaning device upon the rollers to be cleaned.

4. A pneumatic device for cleaning rollers comprising, a body, cylindersin said body, a reciprocating piston in each cylinder, piston rod meanson said pistons extending transversely through the sides of said bodyfor intermittently contacting the rollers to be cleaned, a valve bore insaid body, ducts connecting said valve bore with a compressed airsupply. port and with said cylinders on opposite sides of said pistonsand with an exhaust port, a valve shaft in said bore, mounted forrotation, motor means connected to said supply portfor rotating saidshaft, valve means on said shaft cooperating with said ducts foralternately admitting and releasing compressed air in said cylinders forreciprocating said pistons, and ducts in said body directing compressedair adjacent the free ends of said piston rods for aiding in thecleaning of said rollers.

5. A device for cleaning rollers comprising, a body, cylinders in saidbody, a reciprocating piston in each cylinder, piston rod means on saidpistons for intermittently contacting the rollers to be cleaned, valvemeans connecting said cylinders and a compressed air supply port forreciprocating said pistons, means directing compressed air adjacent thefree ends of said piston rods for aiding in the cleaning of saidrollers, bumper means on said body adjustably positioning the devicebetween spaced rollers to be cleaned, swivel means detachably mounted onsaid body, and arms extending from said swivel means for movablysuspending said cleaning device upon the rollers to be cleaned.

.6. A pneumatic device for cleaning rollers comprising, a body,cylinders in said body, a reciprocating piston in each cylinder, pistonrod means on said pistons extending through the sides of said body forintermittently contacting the rollers to be cleaned, a valve bore insaid body extending longitudinally thereof, means connecting said valvebore with a compressed air supply port, ducts connecting said valve borewith said cylinders on opposite sides of said pistons, cut-ofi valves insaid ducts for selectively inactivating said pistons, exhaust meansconnecting said valve bore with an exhaust port, valve means mounted insaid bore and cooperating with said cylinderconnecting ducts foralternately admitting and releasing compressed air in said cylinders forreciprocating said pistons, ducts in said body directing compressed airadjacent the free ends of said piston rods for aiding in the cleaning ofsaid rollers, bumper means on said body adjustably positioning thedevice between spaced rollers to be cleaned, swivel means detachablymounted on said body, and arms extending from said swivel means formovably suspending said cleaning device upon the rollers to be cleaned.

WILLIS E. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 834,306 Krause Oct. 30, 19061,577,309 Sorensen Mar. 16, 1926 1,594,518 Hathaway Aug. 3, 19262,044,561 Bidle June 16, 1936 2,165,120 Ammendola July 4, 1939 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 210,773 Great Britain Sept. 25, 1924

